steele_towersfandomcom-20200213-history
Max Hollinger
Max Elliott Hollinger is the name of the main protagonist on Steele Towers. He is portrayed by Kevin Levine. Biography Max was born on November 11, 1990Seen on his birth certificate in "Supply and Demand", the only child of John Hollinger and Nancy Hollinger (nee Steele). His father was a high school teacher and his mother was a physician.Season 1, Episode 11 "Atonement" He had a typical childhood until he was seven years old, when both of his parents were murdered in a convenience store robbery. After his parents were killed, Max went to live with Renee Steele, Nancy's sister. Renee and Max had a turbulent relationship from the beginning. Up to the time he went to live with her, the two had not spent much time together. When he was thirteen, Max told Renee the truth about what happened the night John and Nancy were murdered. He had withheld the fact that he was responsible for them being there because he was afraid Renee would blame him for their deaths. Renee did later admit that she resented him for a while because of what happened.Season 2, Episode 6 "'Tis The Season" As he grew older, his relationship with Renee improved somewhat, though she became increasingly protective of him, which he resented. At the beginning of the series, Max had recently graduated college with a nursing degreeSeason 1, Episode 1 "Pilot" and was living with Renee. He was somewhat depressed and had no interest in working. In the fourth episode of the series ("A Wing and a Prayer"), Max left Renee's house for good, stealing some of her cookware on the way out. The two eventually reconciled and now have a much closer relationship. Personality Max is portrayed as a deeply sensitive, kind-hearted, and complex person. Renee once described him as "someone whose life is one giant math problem." He seems to have an affinity for Shakespeare, and occasionally quotes his works with Dr. DiAngelo. Sexuality Max has never had a true relationship with another man and has never overtly identified as homosexual. In fact, he has admitted that the idea of a relationship with someone he cares about scares him because he is so used to treating intimacy as mechanical and distant. He told Dr. DiAngelo that he doesn't think he knows how to do anything else. Despite this he has become emotionally close to a few men. Religion and Politics Max was raised in a mixed religious household; his mother was Jewish and his father was Catholic. He has said on multiple occasions that he does not believe in God and always resented his father forcing religion on him. Though he is not religious, he does seem to have some spiritual beliefs. He once mentioned that he believes in karma and that he is open to the idea of an afterlife. Politically, he seems to hold liberal opinions. He told Renee that he supports gun control, and was supportive of Dr. DiAngelo's decision to get an abortionSeason 4, Episode 19 "All The Best Things". Family and Relationships Sean Astin Sean is Max's best friend. Janet DiAngelo Dr. DiAngelo is Max's therapist and, as such, is probably the one who comes closest to understanding him. Max has weekly sessions with her. As a story-telling device, these sessions allow the audience to better understand what motivates Max's actions and that much of what everyone else sees of Max is in fact a facade. Character History and Reception Kathy Parish conceived the character while sitting at a restaurant with friends. She wrote the words "orphan, gay, Peter Pan complex". Approximately twenty actors were seriously considered for the role, including Isaac Hayes and Michael North, who would later play major characters on the show. Parish has said that she knew Levine was the perfect choice for the role almost immediately after he began reading at his audition: "It was those big blue eyes of his...everything I knew Max was I saw in his eyes. I don't know how he did it." Max was mentioned in Family Business, though all we knew about him was that he was an orphan. When developing Steele Towers, Kathy Parish worked closely with Kevin Levine to flesh out the character. Kevin Levine has received critical acclaim for his work as Max. Show creator Kathy Parish once commented "Max wouldn't be funny without Kevin. That's one of the many reasons that I, selfishly, wanted him to play Max. I knew he'd find a way to make him funny." TVNow critic Michael Hammond wrote "Kevin Levine brings such warmth and humanity to his character that he can do no wrong." Trivia * Max is partially named after Kathy Parish's assistant, Andrew Hollinger * Once mentioned that his favorite color is blue References